Electric-current regulator.



H. A. KEIP. ELECTRIC CURRENT REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 1, 1908.

Patnted June 22, 1909.

mm o c UNITED sTArns PATENT oFFrcn.

HERMAN A. KEIP, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO ELEOTRO SURGICAL INSTRU- MENT COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC-OURRENT RE GULATOB.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HmtMAN A. KEIP, of

Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric- (i'urrent Regulators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the specification,- and to the reference characters marked thereon.

The present invention relates to electric current regulators of the type in which a variable resistance is employed and it has for an object to provide a simple and inexpensive construction adapted to recuce the voltage of the ordinary commercial current to enablev the latter to be used for medical or other purposes where a low voltage is required. I

To these and other ends the invention consists in certain improvements and combinations of parts all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side view of a regulator embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section with some of'the interior parts shown in elevation. Fig. 3 is a detail longitudinal section on line a-a ofFig. 2. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line bb of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a view of the socket end of the device, and Fig. 6 is a die. rammatic view illustrating the circuits.

he invention in this instance embodies a variable resistance preferably consisting of a winding or coil 1 of resistance wire surrounding a support 2, and insulated therefrom by a coatingon the wire and an insulating sheet 2 on the drum. The su port is preferably in the form of asplit hol ow drum provided with heads 3 and 4 at its ends and made of resilient material, such as sheet metal, with the windings placed about it under tension in order to compress the drum and give it a normal tendency to expand. With this arrangement when the resistance wire becomes heated due to the passage of a current therethrough the drum will expand with, the wire and prevent the latter becoming loose. Thesplit in the drum causes the coil to have a flattened portion'on one side and the insulation on the windings may be removed at 5 on the side or edges of the flattened portion to pro- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed 0ctober 1, 1908.

Patented June 22,- 1909. SeriallNo. 455,740.

vide two series of contacts extending longitudinally of the coil. Of course I may provide onlyv one longitudinal extending series of contacts, but I prefer to em} loy two, as I may then secure constant anc. firm engagement between the coil and a contact that moves longitudinally of the coil and has a pair of spring contact portions 6. This movable contact be 0 )erated by a high speed screw '7 that works through a nut 8 secured thereto, the screwbeing located in proximity to the flat portion of the coil and preferably journaled at its ends in the heads 3 and 4. The rotation of the screw in either direction will by reason of the friction produced on the nut, cause either one ofthe contact points to bear with pressure against one of the series of contacts on the coil, although both will at all times contact. The arrangement of the screw in 1proximity to the flattened portion of the coi permits the latter to be surrounded by a smaller casing :1; than. would otherwise be necessary.

To rotate the screw there is provided means preferably arranged within the hollow drum and consisting in this instance of a crown gear 9 journaled on and secured to a bracket 10' on end piece or head 4 and meshing with a pinion 11 that is rigidly secured to screw 7. The operating shaft 12 for the gear is journaled in a bracket 10 on head 4 and extends to the exterior of the drum and the casing x, where it is provided with a thumb piece 12*. The thumb piece and shaft may be detachably secured to the crown gear and for this purpose the latter has an internally threaded boss 13 provided with projections 14 at its base to fit in recesses or notches 15 on the shaft 12 which is made hollow so as to fit over the boss and receive a screw or bolt 16 that enga es the internal threads on boss 13 and ho ds the shaft and thumb piece thereto.

Arranged at the ends of the variable resistance are the insulators 17 and 18, the former carrying means adapting the resistance for attachment to the ordinary incandescent lighting circuit such as an electric plug or base, and the latter adapting the resistance for connection in series with a known resistance B, an electric socket being preferably employed to receive'a plug connected to a known resistance such as an incandescent lamp. The insulator 17 also. carries a pair of binding posts 35 and 36 which are electrically connected with the device so that the current consuming device C connected therewith shall be in series with the known resistance-and in parallel with the variable resistance. The plug that serves for connecting the device to an ordinary socket may comprise from by an insulator preferably; in the form of a sleeve having a flange 26 at one endv abutting the outer end of the contact .19 20 so that the latter may be held to inan annulariextension 28 of the insulator 18;

sulator 17 by a screw bolt or other fastener 27 that passes through the insulator 17'and engages the contact 24 which also has a flange 1 27 engaging or abutting the outer end ofinsulator 25 to hold the latter It will thus'be seen that the screw serves for holding both contacts and. the insulator 25 to the insulator 17.

The socket that receives the plug of a known resistance B is preferably formed by providing a cup in which is arranged an annular contact 29 internally threaded to receive the usual lamp base or'plug and held in the insulator cup by screws 30 which engage laterally turned portions 31 on the contact 29 and project through the insulator and en-' ga e the head 4 of the drum, thus serving to old the insulator to the latter. Located at the base of the cup is a contact32 in the form of a screw thatengages and holds a plate 33 for a purpose to be described.

The current consuming device, such for instance, asalow voltage lamp, indicated at C, has its terminals connected to the binding posts 35 and 36 which are preferably arranged on insulator 17. The binding post 35 'is'electrically connected to contact 19-20 of the base preferablyeby a stem 37 which projects into the insulator 17 and is perforated near its inner'end to receive a conductor 38 that connects contacts 1920'to one end of the resistance coil. The binding post 36 has a stem 39'that also projects into the insulator 17 and is held-therein by one of a series of screws 40 that serve to hold the head 3 of the drum 2 to the said insulator 17. This screw or fastener 40 also electrically connects the binding post 36 to the drum or support 2. The drum or support electrically connects the contact 29 of the socket with the binding post 33 and through screw 7, movable contact 6, coil 1 and conductor 38, with binding post 35, while screws 30 connect the contact 29 of the socket to the support 2. Contact 24 of the plug is connected to contact 32 of the socketby a con '18 into contact with plate 33.

In use, the lug is inserted in an ordinary incandescent -amp socket and a lamp or other known resistance, indicated at B has its plug fitted in the socket at the lower end of the'device, the current, consuming device (1 having previously been connected with terminals or binding posts 35 and 36. The resistance B and the variable resistance will reduce the current flowing to the current consuming device 34 and this current be changed by adjusting the variable resistance in the manner set forth.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there has been provided a construction which is simple to operate and inexpensive to manufacture, the arts are compactly arranged and are not iable to get out of order.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a resistance wire, of a split drum about which the wire is wrapped, made of spring material and held against expansion by the resistance wire.

2. The combination with a pair of inside tors, of a split drum made of spring material, connecting said insulators, a resistance .wire wrapped about said drum and holding it against expansion, said resistance wire being provided with a longitudinal series 'of contacts, a contact movable longitudinally of the drum cooperating with the longitudinal series of contacts on the resistance wire, and

a casing connecting the insulators and sur-' rounding the resistance wire and the movable contact.

3. The combination with a coil of resistance wire having two longitudinal' series of contacts, of a movable contact having two contact points for cooperating with both series of contacts and the screw member extending longitudinally of the coil and co- 0 crating withthe movable contact between t e contact points ofthe latter.

4. The combination of a cylindrical coil having one side flattened and provided with two longitudinal series of contacts at the edges of the flattened ortion, with a contact movable longitudinal y of the coil and pro,

vided with two contact points to cooperate with the two longitudinal series of contacts on the coil.

5. The combination with a hollow drum, and a resistance coil surrounding the same movable contact for cooperating with. the longitudinal seriesof contacts, a screw arranged to operate the movable contact, and means for operating the screw arranged within the drum and having an operating shaijt extending to the exterior of the drum.

6. The combination with a hollow drum and a resistance coil surrounding the same and having a longitudinal series of contacts,

having a longitudinal series of contacts, of a of a screw arranged longitudinally of the coil, a movable contact operated by the.

screw, a pinion on the screw, a gear arranged end cooperating 31th the longitudinal series of contacts a g r for operating the screw arranged iii the drum and journaled on one of the heads and an operating shaft for the gear journaledin the same head and extending to the exterior of the drum.

8.: The combination with a resistance coil having a'ilattened portion, anda longitudinal series 'ofcontactsjof a contact movable longitudinally ofv the coil tocooperate with the series of contacts thereon, and an operating shaft for the movable contact arranged longitudinal of the coil and in proximity to the-flattened portion.

9. The combination with an insulator, of a base or plug secured to the insulator and- -com rising a screw member, an insulator fitting in said hollow screw member and having a flange abutting the outer end of the screw member, a contact fitting in the flanged insulator and having a flange abutting the outer .end of thelatter, and a fastener connecting the flanged contact and the first named insulator.

10. The combination with a pair of insulators, and a variable resistance interposed betweenthem, of a pairof terminals carried by each insulator and electrically connected to the resistance, a pair of binding osts carried by one of the insulators, one o said binding posts having a perforated stem extending into the said insulator, and a conductor secured to one of the contacts on the same insulator, extending through the perforationin the stem and connected to the variable resistance.

11. The combination with a hollow drum and a resistance coil surrounding the same and having a longitudinal series of contacts,

rior of the drum and detachably connected to the gear, a casing surrounding the drum and the screw, and a thumb piece carried by the shaft and arranged on the exterior of the ms g HERMAN A. KEIP. Witnesses:

RUssELL B. GRIFFITH, HAROLD H. SIMMS. 

